The present invention relates to a lathe according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a method for turning a work piece on a lathe.
A traditional lathe generally comprises a bed carrying a head-stock and a tall-stock between which a work piece is supported. The work piece is held in chucking equipment attached to the headstock and is rotated by a motor driving the chucking equipment. Such a lathe further comprises a carriage arranged for displacement along the bed and carrying a slide rest by which a machine tool is held and traversed. To obtain high precision and accuracy during machining, the constituent components of the lathe must be rigid and stable. This generally implies that the lathe is bulky and heavy.
Lathes are also known in which the work piece is stationary and the machine tool is rotated about the work piece. Examples of such lathes are described in EP-B-0 278 898, DE-A-26 42 965 and CH-260918. Common to each of these lathes is the need for a relatively complex system for obtaining radial displacement of the machine tool relative the work piece.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lathe which offers high machining precision, though which is less complex and less bulky than traditional lathes.
This object is achieved by means of the lathe according to claim 1.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for turning a work piece on a lathe, which method implies high machining precision, but which can be executed on a relatively simple lathe.
This object is achieved by the method according to claim 13.
Preferred embodiments of the lathe and the method according to the present invention are detailed in the respective dependent claims.